Heathrow and Gatwick Airports both saw a boost in spring-time travellers during March, freshbusinessthinking.com reports.

The two busiest London airports, which collectively see around 104 million passengers pass through their terminals every year, experienced heightened volumes during March, with Heathrow even setting a new record for the month.

In total, some 5.9 million travellers passed through Heathrow during March, which represents a 3.9 per cent increase year-on-year. Furthermore, the increase also made flights more economical for operators, with average load factor – which illustrates how full each plane is – rising by 2.4 percentage points to 75.8 per cent.

Gatwick, meanwhile, saw a 2.5 per cent year-on-year rise for March, with 2.5 million passengers heading through the gates last month.

Whilst it is probable that many of these travellers were Brits heading out for some spring-time sun during the wet Easter weekend, it is also thought many of these passengers could have been business travellers journeying to meetings in London’s corporate venues.

Commenting on the positive results Gatwick has seen in recent months, the airport’s chief executive, Steward Wingate, told travelweekly.co.uk: “This year Gatwick has continued to compete with other London airports in attracting more passengers, new airlines and new routes.

“Through our continuing investment in the airport and relentless focus on improving the passenger experience, we have seen traffic figures rise despite the backdrop of tough economic conditions at home and abroad. We have seen existing airlines like easyJet, British Airways and Norwegian Air Shuttle grow and new airlines arrive, opening up even more choice and connectivity for passengers.”